The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-16


moon and no inhabitants to build them,
Some, believing that the Creator would
not have formed SO complete q world
merely to shed a little reflected light upon
tho earth, may think there must have
been inhabitants there In the long-past
ages OF lunar history who may have left
some traces Of their presence, How
ever this may be, tho discovery OF arti-
fetal works Is not needed TO make the
moon interesting. Tossed and torn US it
has been by tho most terrific volcanic
forces, tho face Of our satellite presents
TO us as strange world as tho most gro.
tesquc imagination could picture. Craiers
forty and fifty miles across; circular plains
completely ringed and shut in by giant
mountain peaks; strange shining noun
tains, whose mighty flanks fairly blaze
when the sunshine strikes them, so that
even tho clcar-cycd William IIcrschcl
thought he saw them actually vomiting
fire; empty bottoms of long dricd-up seas;
chasns Umile wide, 100 miles or more
long and of frightful delth-with nil these
features to excite the wonder and even
the admiration of the bcholdcr, for the
moon is very beautiful in the telescope,
there is no danger that the lunar rcvcla-
tions Of the great Lick glass will lack
interest, even Il they only serve to
strengthen the evidence that OUT brilliant
satellite is often all but the skeleton of
"a world.
Then comes the planet Mars, which in.
teres,s us in very different way, for
Mars Is not improbably an inhabited
world. The question of It's actual con-
dition rs to habitablencsa is still under
dcbatc; and here the great Californian
telescope may be able to furnish decisive
evidence one way or the other, IL properly
used. We already know that Mar, has
an atmosphere, aud we can hardly be
mistaken in saying that It possesses
water, and that dilFercntly-colored re-
gions we see upon it are lands md seas.
Around its poles We perceive white
patches that wax and wane with the
seasons. What can they be but snow
ileldsl Observing largo portions of its
surface ut times, misty patches are visible,
which are seen 10 slowly change their
position. and sometimes 10 gradually melt
away. What arc these but clouds float
ing in the atmosphere of the planety
Within tho past ten years curious sircaks,
called canals, have been seen ut times
upon Mars. They certainly arc not
canals in tho ordinary meaning of that
term; just what they are we do not know.
There Is some evidence that their appear
ancc and disappearance depend upon the
changes OF the seasons Of Mars. Into
the mysteries Of this most interesting
wcrld-and the reader will ut once per-
ccivc that It is full Of the greatest In.
tercst-thc Lick telescope should enable
astronomers TO penetrate much further
than they have yet been able TO do.
The planets Jupiter and Saturn hive
also assumed fresh interest Of late, cs.
pecinlly tho former, on account Of the
puzzling appearances that they have pre-
scntcd. The huge red spot on Jupiter,
which was first seen in 1878, is still Wis.
ihlc, having In the past three OR four
years undergone very singular iluciua-
lions Of form and visibility. It is not
likely, MS has been suggested, that this
strange spot is Z portion of the rcd-hot
surface of the great planet made visible
10 us by the withdrawal of a concealing
envelope Of clouds; yet it can hardly be
doubted that 1t has something to do with
the planetary development of thut dis.
iant world, which Is now evidently pass.
ing through the earlier stages Of what
might be called its Psychological history.
In dealing with such phenomena MS this
the Lick telescope win possess m cnor-
nous advantage, If Its powers arc prop
crly directed. With n maguifyiug powcl
OF 5000 times, Jupiter, when near oppo-
sitlon, would appear rs If only about
$4,000 miles AWAY, or something more
than half the distance of the moon. If
Jupiter really were only rs fur away Ms
that, Il would seem to ill 'half the heavens.
II would have M apparent diameter of
over i0' covering about 10000 times rs
large spncc ny the full moon does.
Even with a.pOwer of 1900, Jupiter
would be brought within nm apparent
distance of about 100000 miles, or only
three times Its own diameter AWAY. Our
present telescope will not hear such n
power satisfactorily; bu, I, ought 10 he
available, under the best conditions, on
Mount Hamilton for tho study of the
features of Jupiicrs surface. Tho came
remarks npply to Snturn-tlic wonderful
world with rings suspended around II.
With the great new telescope such views
should he obtained of II rs have never
been Obtained before.
A gigantic Photographic lens Is to be
applied 10 the Lick telescope. Herein
tho monster will probably be nblc to
accomplish enormous results. II hns
recently been found practicable TO photo.
graph stars and ncbullr which the human
eye cannot see at all, even when nitlcd by
the most powerful telescopes. But tho
photographic plate makes them visible,
showing that the heavens arc even more
full Of wonders tlian' men Ind dreamed.
Wha, now marvcls of this kind the Lick
telescope will reveal In the awful depths
OF space, where suns and worlds aro
strcwn like sands upon the shore can only
be guessed. -
TI,rro's ihc Difficulty. aud
'nTlc trouble with business, my dear fcl.
low, Is tint people. don't spend. enough.
T.. 4